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The Boys Showrunner on Marjorie Taylor Greene Inspiring Firecracker

The Boys Showrunner Eric Kripke explains how Donald Trump lackey Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene inspired Valorie Curry's character, Firecracker.

With a new episode of Prime Video and Showrunner/EP Eric Kripke's The Boys Season 4 set to hit screens later this week, Kripke sat down with Variety's Showrunners Sitdown to discuss the streaming series and current season. Over the course of the one-on-one, Kripke covers a number of topics – from how important themes have evolved over the seasons to his concerns over not becoming the very thing that the show's been satirizing. In addition, Kripke covers a number of topics with regard to how the streaming series reflects our politically volatile times – from how Homelander (Antony Starr) represents the worst of everything and the show's metaphors to Donald Trump to Kripke pushing back hard on trolls going after the show's cast.

One insight that caught our attention was Kripke sharing the inspiration for Valorie Curry's Firecracker, the far-right-wing conspiracy theorist with a serious ax to grind with Annie/Starlight (Erin Moriarty). "Firecracker came from like, 'Hey, isn't Marjorie Taylor Greene scary?' And just that type of personality. Like, you had Trump, but now you have these Trump spawns that are trying to outdo each other for how outrageous and sexualized and gun-toting and slavishly obedient they can be. And just that idea — it wouldn't just start and end with Homelander; he would start to create these spores that would grow into these other characters, and she's a version of that," Kripke explained, revealing that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was the "role model" for Firecracker.

In Season Four, the world is on the brink. Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit) is closer than ever to the Oval Office and under the muscly thumb of Homelander (Antony Starr), who is consolidating his power. Butcher (Karl Urban), with only months to live, has lost Becca's son and his job as The Boys' leader. The rest of the team is fed up with his lies. With the stakes higher than ever, they have to find a way to work together and save the world before it's too late. Now, here's a look at the promo trailer for this week's episode, S04E04: "Wisdom of the Ages" (written by Geoff Aull):

The Boys Season 4: Eric Kripke on Sister Sage, Firecracker Insights

During an interview with EW, Kripke shared that Susan Heyward's Sister Sage and Valorie Curry's Firecracker represent the show's twisted take on two more superhero archetypes – "The World's Smartest Person" and "All-American! USA!" When it comes to Sage, Kripke notes that being "a tactical genius" will see her having Homelander's ear – making The Seven leader "much more dangerous." As for Firecracker, Kripke notes that the gun-loving supe sits somewhere to the far right of even VNN's Cameron Coleman (Matthew Edison) – and that she definitely has very similar traits to Donald Trump's potential VP pick, Kristi Noem. Here's a look at what else Kripke had to share about Sister Sage and Firecracker:

Kripke on Sister Sage: "It's such a funny power. A lot of superhero worlds have that character. Whereas most of them are usually really reedy white dudes, we wanted a Black woman who was raised in a low socioeconomic area, so no one f***ing listens to her. It's both commentary and satirical that you have literally the smartest person in the world that could cure all of society's ills, but she just can't get anyone to listen to her. So then she becomes a bitter misanthrope."

Kripke on Firecracker: "It turns out there's always crazier. Firecracker represents both members of the conspiracy-minded movements and the super extreme right-wing news media. That character has some surprising backstory that connects her to some of the characters in our world that it was just interesting to bring in one of those pistol-packing 'I shot my puppies' type of characters."

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